Many years ago, I learned deceit doesn't pay. Not for me, at least. I'm a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. That straightforward quality makes me a great reporter, but I'd be a lousy politician. I can't lie to save my life—just ask my mother, or all the traffic cops who have never once let me skate by with a warning.

As a result, I have a very low tolerance for folks who do lie, whether it's Wall Street bankers, warmongering presidents or CEOs who up and quit out of the blue, at the peak of their careers, in order to spend more time with their families.

A skill set required of journalists is the ability to sniff out situations that don't add up. Lately, everywhere I turn, I get a whiff of stink.